FILM SCHOOLS
LEARNING NEW WAYS TO EDUCATE TOMORROW’S INDUSTRY PROS By CHRIS McGOWAN
TOP: An aerial shot of Talbot campus of Bournemouth University in Poole, England. The newly-opened Poole Gateway Building houses labs and studios for courses in the creative industries, including the National Centre for Computer Animation. (Image courtesy of Bournemouth University)
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PG 74-78 FILM SCHOOLS.indd 74-75
Once the pandemic hit and turned classes into virtual events, VFX and animation schools scrambled to get their curricula online, make classes glitch-free and dynamic, and offer remote access to workstations. Zoom has been an essential platform for online classes and meetings, with Discord, Blackboard, SyncSketch, Slack, MS Teams and Shotgun, among others, also cited as key software – for collaboration, communication, learning and/or project management. Online classes have generally functioned well, according to schools contacted, and in some cases provided extra benefits like recordability for later viewing, available on demand. Plus, guest speakers can join a seminar even if they are in Timbuktu or Tasmania. “As the world changed, so have we,” says Miguel Rodriguez about Vancouver’s InFocus Film School and its response to COVID-19. Rodriguez, Head of the 3D Animation and VFX program, comments, “It definitely was a rough process of adapting to the new normal. During the first week of the quarantine we worked hard to set up online learning tools and remote access to the class computers. It gave [students] 24/7 access to their workstations without leaving home.” Regarding classes, Rodriguez notes that a webcam and microphone can’t convey as much as sharing a space, “but there are plenty of tools that help make the class more dynamic. Video, audio, drawing boards, screen and file sharing play an important part in this. “Zoom is definitely important, allowing us to have classes and meetings without too much setup,” he continues. “We have also
used Discord with great success, [as its] ability to share multiple screens between several participants and share files while keeping a chat history makes it an effective tool when keeping track of several medium and large-sized projects. For production purposes, I’d say Shotgun is still the number one option when compiling all of the aspects surrounding a project.” As of fall of last year, InFocus animation and VFX classes were online, while the Canadian school’s film production classes were hybrid – with distancing and masks. When USC’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) went online, it was a “stressful and difficult time for everyone – both professionally and personally,” notes Teresa Cheng, Chair of the John C. Hench Division of Animation and Digital Arts at SCA. “The resilience of our [division’s] students has really been impressive.” Cheng continues, “This pandemic forced everyone to adapt and do so quickly.” The silver lining is that “remote collaboration has been the norm in our industry for some time now.” SCA’s animation and digital arts classes are using Zoom, Blackboard, SyncSketch and Slack, according to Cheng, plus “our Creative Technology department has worked out virtual desktop access for our students via Teradici.” However, she emphasizes that “our value is in our faculty. Zoom is just a tool. Of course, there are limitations [in not] being physically in the same space, but good teachers always find inventive ways to reach their students and deliver good content. “We already have access to great people in the industry, alumni and professional contacts who are all eager to help,” she adds, “now
TOP: Actor Imogen Ridley, with face mask, utilizes the NCCA optical motion capture system for a medical education project at the National Centre for Computer Animation at Bournemouth University. (Image courtesy of Bournemouth University) BOTTOM: A student keeps her social distance during a mocap session at the InFocus Film School in Vancouver, Canada. (Image courtesy of InFocus Film School)
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